Magazine Writing 2024
Freelance articles and columns for national publications
Updated: July 19, 2024
Freelance magazine articles and columns published in 2024. The columns are for American School Board Journal, where I work as a contributing editor.
Features
Building for the Future (July): Baltimore City Schools’ efforts to improve its facilities come at a crisis point for districts across the nation that also are dealing with long-standing school infrastructure problems. While more investment appears to be a common-sense fix to a solvable problem, widespread improvements still seem far in the future despite fierce lobbying at the state and federal levels to spend more on facilities. And the costs only are going up. Written for American School Board Journal.
Leading the Way (July): Those who enter the counseling field are motivated by a desire to help others. And many counselors naturally possess traits — adaptability, compassion, empathy, empowerment, passion, resilience — that make them candidates to become great leaders. But leadership is about much more than becoming a president of an organization, chair of a department or a keynote speaker. It comes in many forms, and counselors can strive to nurture qualities to become strong leaders in their practice, profession and communities. Written for the American Counseling Association.
Reputation Matters (April): Have you ever taken a moment to Google yourself? As a staffing firm recruiter, even if you haven’t, it’s likely the talent you’re trying to reach is doing an internet search on you and your staffing company. And if the reviews and feedback are negative, your chances for success can drop sharply. In an everchanging customer service landscape, this means you must take a dual approach to build that all-important trust and loyalty among clients and job seekers. Written for the American Staffing Association.
A Force for Expanding Early Learning (April): Summer Schultz’s passion for helping early learners was sparked by the opportunity for a free lunch. At an AASA national conference, the South Dakota superintendent went to a luncheon sponsored by Waterford, a national nonprofit focused on improving opportunities for preK-2nd grade learners. Written for AASA: The School Superintendents Association.
For the Love of Literacy (January): Kelly Byrd, the 2024 National Staffing Employee of the Year, is on a mission for children "who look like me." She wants to help students in high-need urban areas get resources and support so they can be confident and competent readers. She wants to write and publish books that are culturally representative and empowering. And, in her newest role, she wants to be a good "mommy" to the two-year-old girl she gained custody of last year. Byrd knows she can work toward those goals because Supplemental Health Care, the staffing firm she works for as a K-12 speech language pathologist, provides her with the support and flexibility she needs. Written for the American Staffing Association.
Columns
Successful Bond Efforts (July): Almost half of our nation’s schools are more than 50 years old. Of that number, 26% of those still in use today were built for those same baby boomers; an additional 12% were built before 1950 — 75 or more years ago. I spoke with administrators and communications staff in school districts about their successful bond efforts and gleaned some “what works/what doesn’t” advice to pass along.
From Buzzword to Key Component (April): As school districts nationwide look for ways to be more intentional in their diversity, equity, and inclusion work, some are encountering communities that are resistant to these discussions. For school communicators, many of whom are used to dealing with tough, touchy, or controversial subjects, this resistance can be difficult, but the task is not insurmountable.
Communications Leaders (February): Small districts — those with less than 5,000 students — are hiring more communications-specific staff than they did prior to the pandemic. And larger districts that previously had a single person also are adding staff as the demand for information grows.